Red Road accident an hr before Republic Day rehearsal reignites 2016 horror fears
Times of India | 25 January 2026
Kolkata: A "speeding" sedan reportedly rammed into a guardrail at the J&K Crossing near Kolkata's Red Road on Saturday morning, even as the parade contingents just started reporting for the Republic Day parade final rehearsals. This brought back memories of a fatal accident in 2016, when another speeding high-end car broke through barricades at the same location during Republic Day rehearsals, killing Air Force Corporal Abhimanyu Gaud. However, unlike 10 years ago, no one was injured in Saturday's accident.
Around 7.35 am, the car, allegedly driven by a 22-year-old Canal South Road resident, approached Red Road from Kidderpore Road at a high speed when officers signalled it to stop. According to cops, instead of complying, he attempted to flee towards Park Street via Outram Road and crashed into 2 police guardrails put up at J&K Island.
The cops detained the driver, Arman Agarwal, a student, and took him to Maidan PS. During questioning, it emerged that the youth, along with his friends, was going towards central Kolkata for having tea. But, on closer inspection, cops found that both the insurance cover and pollution certificate of the car expired between 2023 and 2024. Cops said legal action will follow. Agarwal was later shown arrested and produced at the Bankshall Court before getting bail on a personal bond of Rs 1,000.
Cops, who were managing vehicular movement, though, had a different take. "It was around 7.35 am and the contingents just started reporting. The rehearsals were set to begin at 8.30 am. Only Red Road was made out of bounds. It was only after 7.30 am that we decided to shut other roads. At that point, vehicles that entered Kidderpore Road from Hospital Road and Hastings side were moving out. This car came from Kidderpore Road in the extreme left lane, wishing to drive straight to Red Road. When the driver realised it was blocked and that he would crash into the guardrail, he tried to swerve right sharply, even as cops at the spot raised an alarm. Due to this sudden sharp turn, as the car was speeding, the driver could not complete the manoeuvre and the sedan's left corner rammed the guardrails. The driver did not disregard any blocks, nor was there any security breach," said an officer.
"We interrogated him to ascertain if he was aware of the rehearsals and if he was aware that the car failed its insurance. CCTV footage has been preserved," an officer of the Maidan PS said.